Edward Elric FMA Monk/Druid Build

[Hohadonc]

I've been thinking about a Character based on Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

It involves a lot of high mobility close combat and shaping the environment/ occasionally improving your own capabilities.

Starting setup is
Variant Human
Post Racial stats
9 str 16 dex 13 con 10 int 16 wis 8 cha
Starting feat is resilient con
Go 5 levels Monk then 5 levels Druid then take Monk to 9 after that Druid gets taken up to 9.
Asi at 4,9,12,16
Upping dex and wis then doing it again.

The Druid is drunken master or Kensai I don't know which to pick. The Druid is grassland land Druid.

Fully comes to what I want at level 10 when I can cast haste on myself at the start of combat and then making 3 attacks a turn using the extra attack from haste and flurry of blows, while either using my normal action to cast things like erupting earth, or plantgrowth, or just a Cantrip.

The spells might work mechanically and thematically better if I built with wizard but that makes it very MAD.

[Quoxis]

The „total party thrill“ podcast just recently built Ed using transmutation wizard (duh) and eldritch knight.

The „no metal“ restriction is pretty game breaking for my taste regarding that half of Edwards limbs are metal - can be refluffed, sure, but why druid in the first place? Just for haste? Wizards get that too. And monk just for the flurry of blows? Ed‘s main attacks are slashing moves with his arm sword thingy, not sure if punches are the right thing to emulate that.

Overall your build is cool and good in combat, but nothing about it particularly screams FMA to me.

[Hohadonc]

The metal limbs can be an issue but in terms of Monk over fighter is I feel like the way they fight in terms of mobility and positioning fits the monk style more than the fighter along with the unarmoured aspect. The Druid is mostly an attempt to not be entirely MAD, doing the build with a transmutation wizard could work, though I worry about the madness, though you could do it by using
8 16 11 16 13 8
As your stats and relying on Mage armour for your AC. In terms of the specific damage type I'm not too fussed about the specific damage type, also he does a lot of punching and you can still use a weapon for your main attack.
I will have to check out the total party thrill build.

[Rolero]

I agree. Edward is a essentially a transmuter and a child genius. Int should be his top stat and have a focus in Arcana, Nature and/or History because of his constant researchs.

Onto the combat side, while Ed fights hand to hand pretty well, most of the time He transmutes his arm into a blade or creates a weapon to do so. I don't think is essential, and Fighter could work equaly well. In fact, Battlemaster could fit properly as He tries to fight strategically.

Atributte priorities could go INT/DEX/CON/STR/WIS/CHA He is hot-headed and reckless and not very charming, but He is in very good shape because of his training and constant travels, and of course, an obsessed researcher and alchemy prodigy.

[Vogie]

I like the idea of using Monk to show his mobility, although I don't understand the desire to use Haste. I mean, it's neat, but nothing about it screams Ed. It is a transmutation spell in 5e, but not in the way that Transmutation is used in FMA.

I'd suggest Way of the Open Hand monk, with "Open Hand Technique" refluffed as "Metal Fist Technique". Ed's favorite weapon, the spear, is already a simple weapon, so you don't have to be a kensai to wield it

Perhaps eschew Druid for Forge Cleric? You'll only need 2-3 levels to pull it off, the "Artisan's Blessing" and "Blessing of the Forge" could be refluffed as transmutation, and you can just ignore the fact you get heavy armor. It's a better loss than the amount of design budget that druids lose for wild shape.



I made a homebrew FMA class that you could look at... however, it's a warlock patron. The Gate of Truth (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?553811-Warlock-Patron-Based-on-Fullmetal-Alchemist-PEACH). In that class, Edward would be a blade pact (A nod to the spear & his arm blade), and Alphonse would be a tome pact.

[strangebloke]

I'd suggest Way of the Open Hand monk, with "Open Hand Technique" refluffed as "Metal Fist Technique". Ed's favorite weapon, the spear, is already a simple weapon, so you don't have to be a kensai to wield it

Perhaps eschew Druid for Forge Cleric? You'll only need 2-3 levels to pull it off, the "Artisan's Blessing" and "Blessing of the Forge" could be refluffed as transmutation, and you can just ignore the fact you get heavy armor. It's a better loss than the amount of design budget that druids lose for wild shape.

I think there are basically two directions to take things:

You can go WIS-based with forge cleric and open hand monk. While Ed is a prodigy, it's easy to fluff his incredible insight into alchemy as a wisdom-based thing. I mean, their first lesson from their teacher isn't exactly "sit down, read these books." Forge cleric is really perfect with all the creating-things abilities, and his stunningly forceful punches can be emulated with stunning strike.

Or, you can go INT-based with transmuter wizard and arcane trickster. I know EK was brought up but trickster better covers the mobility and technical proficiency that Ed demonstrates. Transmuter works great, of course, and the spell list has some real winners. Maximillian's Earthen Grasp? Obvious pick.

[ErHo]

UA has the Aritificer class with a prestige to Alchemist subclass.

http://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/1_UA_Artificer_20170109.pdf

Monk doesnt seem like a good fit, IMHO

[Hohadonc]

The mix of monk and wizard can work as long as you don't worry about wis as a monk. I don't think Edward's wis is low, though I wouldn't call it high, necessarily.

The use of haste is because I like the ability to cast a spell and still make 3 attacks against an enemy all within the same turn.

The issue I have with the cleric is spell list is lacking in spells with the same transmuting feel, and Druid holds the advantage because of spells like erupting earth and bones of the earth, of going wis based.

I will have to have a look into arcane trickster to see if it fits well with the feel I want.

The alchemist subclass is more potion maker than transmuted.
My Dm does not allow homebrew and is wary on unearthed arcana unfortunately.

[Vogie]

Actually, perhaps refluffing away the "song" aspect of Bladesinger wizard (and the elf-only restriction, of course) would work for you

EK 3 / Bladesinger Wizard X

9 str 16 dex 13 con
16 int 10 wis 8 cha

Most of the time you'll be a wizard, but once he claps his hands, and the... lets call it a "Transmutation performance" is starting - it'd be very anime. Perhaps call it a "Transmutation Stance"? You can still have multiple attacks, access to haste and high level transmutations spells:

The levels in fighter give him proficiency in any weapon, as opposed to a single one, although the highest-damage finesse weapon is a rapier
The EK's Weapon Bond removes the ability to become disarmed - because Ed's rapier is actually his automail arm transmuted into a blade, as a bonus action.
the single-handed weapon of the bladesong restriction makes perfect sense, as his weapon is literally coming from his arm
The Song Stance of Defense allows Ed to take a cinematic beating
The Song Stance of Defense allows Ed to deal a decent amounts of damage while in melee
Bladesinger's Constitution throw bonus allows you to put off grabbing Warcaster by investing ASIs into Int and grabbing the Mobile feat instead


Only downside is your Str is so low you can't use a non-finesse melee weapon effectively, so Ed's infamous spear won't be available to you.

[Hohadonc]

The blade singer option does seem to work well, but I don't think I could try to play with a wizard class and not use transmutation, also the loss of the spear is unfortunate.